Is It Enough?
by CajunWitch
Summary: After the Wizarding War is over, Hermione feels trapped in a relationship with Ron. When a friend offers her a way out and a new start elsewhere, Hermione takes it. This works well for some time, but Hermione begins to realize she misses aspects of her old life. She returns to London and sparks fly with a certain Slytherin.


**Is It Enough?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.**

**Summary: After the Wizarding War is over, Hermione feels trapped in a relationship with Ron. When a friend offers her a way out and a new start elsewhere, Hermione takes it. This works well for some time, but Hermione begins to realize she misses aspects of her old life. She returns to London and sparks fly with a certain Slytherin. **

It was approaching midnight at The Burrow, the home of Ron Weasley and his family. Ron was perched on the end of his bed, not realizing he was holding his breath as he watched his bedroom door open slowly. He grinned when Hermione walked in, one finger over her lips as she struggled not to giggle. Ron stood up and pulled her to him, kissing her. He led her to his bed, where they sat beside each other.

"What took you so long," he asked as he caressed her cheek.

Hermione leaned into his touch. "I had to wait until I was sure everyone was asleep, but I'm here now," she whispered as she looked into his eyes.

"Yes, you are," Ron whispered back and kissed her again.

After making out for a few minutes, Hermione stood up so that she was in front of Ron. No words were spoken as he removed her nightgown and she helped him out of his pajamas. When their clothes were shed, they climbed onto his bed, lying beside each other, and looking into each other's eyes.

Hermione was excited; she and Ron had finally made the decision to have sex. It was her first time, but not Ron's. He and Lavender Brown had sex during their sixth year. Hermione was a bit upset when Ron had revealed this to her, but she managed to deal with it. It had been a few months since the Wizarding War had ended, and in that time she and Ron had taken their relationship to a whole new level. After years of arguing and flirting with each other, they were finally a couple.

Ron moved on top of her, and nudged her knees apart with his legs. Hermione stared at him, as she attempted to become used to Ron's bare skin making contact with hers. She would have preferred the room being dark, but there was a small lamp on a nightstand near Ron's bed, and it was on. She was afraid that the light from the lamp would show any imperfections on her body, but she began to feel more comfortable when Ron's eyes roamed over her, and his eyes darkened with lust.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered as he kissed her again. Hermione kissed him back and put her arms around his neck. He tentatively touched her breasts with his hands, then his lips, taking each of her small, pert nipples in his mouth. Hermione gasped softly; he had touched her breasts before during makeout sessions, but this was the first time she felt his mouth on them, and it was wonderful. After a few minutes of this, Ron looked up and smiled at her. He reached down between his legs, and she felt his erection rubbing against her. Hermione knew that it was time and she braced herself. She had spoken to Ginny, Ron's sister, about sex a few days before. Ginny and her boyfriend, Harry Potter, Hermione and Ron's best friend, had sex for the first time soon after the Wizarding War ended. Ginny told Hermione it was a bit uncomfortable at first, but once she was used to it, it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. Hermione couldn't wait to experience this with Ron.

Hermione bit her lip when she felt Ron's cock at her opening. She remembered to silently recite a contraceptive charm as she closed her eyes and held her breath as Ron pushed into her. Ginny was right that it was uncomfortable initially, but as Ron moved inside of her, Hermione liked the feeling of him inside of her, and began to move with him. She enjoyed the friction of his cock rubbing her inner walls, and pleasant sensations began to form. Hermione was about to wrap her legs around his waist so that he could plunge more deeply inside of her, when Ron stopped moving.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ron rasped as he caught his breath.

"I-I'm not sure, I just thought I'd move with you," Hermione replied softly and was taken aback by his sharp tone. She lowered her legs and removed her hands from his shoulders.

"I'd prefer if you didn't move. It's distracting and I can't concentrate. Just stay still," Ron said as he began to move again.

Hermione did as she was told and didn't move. She watched in silence as Ron's eyes squeezed shut, and his thrusts became quicker and clumsier as he approached his peak. After a few minutes of this, he let out a grunt, and Hermione felt his warm seed shoot into her. He collapsed onto her as he caught his breath. She didn't say anything, but something stirred inside of Hermione as she felt a sudden urge to push him off of her, and run out of the room. This was not at all how she imagined her first time to be.

To her relief, he moved off of her and stood up. Hermione looked at him as he grabbed his wand and did a cleaning charm. Ron gave her a small smile.

"That was amazing, love. Look, I know it was your first time and you weren't sure what to do. It'll be even better next time," he said softly.

Hermione only nodded, not trusting herself to answer him because she was tempted to tell him that this was not what she expected at all, but knowing his quick temper and the way he took offense, she knew this was best. She didn't want to get into an argument with him.

Ron walked over to the other side of the bed and climbed back in. Hermione turned toward him and smiled. Ron smiled back, and she waited for him to take her into his arms. This was a special night for them, or so she thought, because she couldn't believe what came next.

"Look, why don't you get cleaned up and get back to your room. It's late and I'm tired," he said and yawned.

For one of the few times in her young life, Hermione was at a loss for words. As she cast a cleaning charm, she found her panties and nightgown on the floor. She quickly put them back on and was about to kiss Ron goodnight, but he was fast asleep. Hermione shook her head and crept out of his room. She returned to the bedroom she shared with Ginny, and was relieved to see that Ginny wasn't there. Ron's sister usually spent almost the whole night with Harry, and snuck back into her bedroom at about 4 a.m. on most mornings.

Hermione looked at her watch and saw that it was only 12:30 a.m. She sighed as she got into bed and thought about what had just occurred. Was that how sex was supposed to be? Maybe she read too many steamy muggle romance novels and expected sex to be like it was for the characters in them? As this ran through her mind, Hermione decided she couldn't sleep. She left her bed and went over to the window seat near Ginny's bed. Hermione sat there, feeling very conflicted about what had happened between her and Ron.

Ginny tiptoed into the room at about 4:15 a.m. and gave a start when she saw Hermione was up.

"Hermione! You scared me! For a split second I thought it was mum waiting for me," she hissed and chuckled with her hand over her mouth, so she wouldn't make too much noise. She walked over to where Hermione was sitting. "Did you just wake up?" she asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I've been here for the most of the night. I couldn't sleep."

Ginny sat beside her. "Hey! How did it go with Ron? Wait, what am I doing? This is kind of weird, me asking about you and my brother. Don't answer!"

"It's okay, Gin. We've been talking so much about it. It was good with Ron," Hermione said quietly.

"Are you sure? You seem awfully quiet," Ginny replied as she stared at Hermione. After a few moments, she said, "I hope Ron didn't do something stupid."

"It's okay, Gin, really. I guess I'm just not sure if I should feel different or something," Hermione said. She gave Ginny a small smile. "You know how I overanalyze everything. I think I'm going to try to get a few hours of sleep."

"Yeah, I better do that too. I didn't get too much sleep with Harry, if you know what I mean," Ginny replied and waggled her eyebrows.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do know what you mean," Hermione chuckled and threw her pillow at her.

Ginny laughed and threw the pillow back. They settled into their beds and spoke for a few more minutes, and then Hermione noticed that Ginny had fallen asleep. Hermione turned over and faced the wall. She couldn't help feeling nothing but regret for having sex with Ron.

After that night, Ron had become more affectionate with her in front of his family, holding her close, and giving her small kisses on her cheek. Before they had sex, Hermione craved this type of attention from Ron, but now it was all she could do not to push him away from her. What was wrong with her? After the intimacy they shared, surely she shouldn't be feeling this way. Ron kept bugging her about when they were going to have sex again, but she told him that she was on her period. Ron was aghast when she told him this and remarked that a proper witch wouldn't speak of such things with her wizard. Hermione wondered what century exactly Ron thought they were living in. She envied the way Ginny and Harry looked so happy and seemed to genuinely enjoy being together.

It had been approximately a week since Hermione gave him her excuse, so Ron was getting antsy and couldn't wait anymore. They had just had lunch, so he asked Hermione to take a walk with him outside. When they were out of earshot from anyone at The Burrow, he began to speak.

"Um, Hermione? Is that thing you told me about finished? I can't wait for us to be together again," he asked as he kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Yes, Ronald, my period is over. Is that what you meant by 'that thing?' My menstrual cycle, Aunt Flo and Cousin Red's visit is over, I am no longer riding the crimson wave or on the rag, is that what you meant?" Hermione asked with a wide-eyed innocent look, secretly enjoying how uncomfortable she was making Ron.

Ron stopped and looked at her, his face turning various shades of pink and red. "Really, Hermione? You don't have to be so vulgar about your womanly things! You knew what I meant. What has gotten into you? A proper witch doesn't talk that way!"

Hermione knew it was immature, but she couldn't help herself as she rolled her eyes and snorted.

Ron chose to ignore this and sighed. "Look, Harry and I just found out that we'll be leaving for Auror training the day after tomorrow. I'd really like for us to be together the next two days. I don't know when we'll see each other again, especially since you and Gin are returning to Hogwarts next week," Ron said softly as he took her into his arms.

At that moment, Hermione felt a bit guilty for the conflicted feelings she had been having about her and Ron. It hit her that for the first time in years, she was going to be separated from her two best friends. Hermione also was given the option of becoming an Auror, but she decided to go back to Hogwarts to complete the year she had missed.

"I didn't realize it was so soon. I'm sorry if I've been out of sorts this last week, Ron. I don't know, so much is changing I suppose," Hermione replied and rested her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay, love. I understand, but I can't get the last time we were together out of my head. That was fantastic and I can't wait to do it again. You'll come to my room?" Ron asked excitedly.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I'll see you after midnight," she replied as Ron kissed her. She kissed him back, but couldn't help having a sinking feeling in her heart.

That night, Hermione went to Ron's room. She held out some hope that maybe it would be a different experience, but it was the same thing. Ron on top, while she managed not to move. Instead, she watched as his facial expressions changed as he approached orgasm. She bit her lip trying not to laugh when his face scrunched up and it appeared as if he was in extreme pain when he came. It was such a relief when it was over and she could get back to her bed. Hermione thanked Merlin that Ron was satisfied with having sex only once a night. Ginny told her that she and Harry sometimes did it 3-4 times! When Hermione thought about having to do it more than once with Ron, she cringed. Was it normal to feel this way? She was beginning to wonder if perhaps there was something wrong with her.

Thankfully, those two days went by quickly. Hermione, Ginny, and the rest of the Weasley family accompanied Harry and Ron to Diagon Alley. They waited with the two young men until it was time for them to report for duty at The Ministry. Before they left, Ron hugged Hermione closely and kissed her. He promised to write and told her he would be counting the days until they could see each other again. Hermione hugged him back. She was going to miss her friends. That was when it hit her. Did she see Ron as a friend, and not a lover? Hermione considered this when she watched Ginny tell Harry goodbye. Ginny had tears in her eyes and Harry looked as if he was torn about leaving. They clung to each other until it was time for them to go. When they left, Ginny broke down and Hermione comforted her, softly reassuring her that Harry would be back soon. She felt a twinge of guilt because she wasn't nearly as distraught about Ron leaving, but just decided that she wasn't one to wear her emotions on her sleeve like Ginny.

When they finally left Diagon Alley, Hermione didn't return to The Burrow with the Weasley's. She returned to her parents' home so she could spend time with them before leaving for Hogwarts. Before the war, Hermione had performed an Obliviate charm on her parents to erase their memories. It was for their own protection in case the Deatheaters would have decided to go after them to try to get to Hermione. When the war ended, a reversal was done and their memories were restored. Hermione had plenty of explaining to do and tensions were high, but her parents gradually accepted that it was for the best.

The following week went by quickly. Hermione and her parents enjoyed the time they spent together. During that time, they went to Diagon Alley and Hermione bought her supplies for her last year at Diagon Alley. This was an exciting, yet bittersweet experience for her because it hit her that this was the last time she'd be doing this. She had a wonderful day with her parents as they had lunch and discussed her last year of school. Always a conscientious student, Hermione had kept up with her muggle studies as well as the ones at Hogwarts. She had applied to a few muggle universities in London and was accepted, as well as a prestigious wizard university in Edinburgh, Scotland. She was undecided as to which school she wanted to attend, and knew that she was going to have to make a decision soon. These establishments had long waiting lists for admission and would not hold a place for her no matter how exceptional of a student she was.

The day finally arrived for Hermione to leave for Hogwarts, and again she felt sentimental when she boarded the train and waved to her parents. It hit her that this was the last time she would be doing this. She watched as her parents chatted with Arthur and Molly Weasley, and the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station.

She found an empty compartment and it wasn't long before Ginny joined her. The two young women discussed their expectations for the school year, and their boyfriends, of course. Ginny showed Hermione the letters she had received from Harry, and went on about how much she missed him, etc. As Hermione listened to her, she thought about how she had only received one hastily scribbled note from Ron, stating that he and Harry had made it, and that he'd write more when he had time. Should she be worried because she didn't receive as many letters as Ginny? Hermione mentally shrugged and justified this as Ron being Ron.

When they finally arrived at Hogwarts, Hermione was glad. As much as she loved her friend, she was sick of hearing about how much Ginny missed Harry, and how was she going to cope not being with him, yadda, yadda. Thankfully, Ginny met up with friends from her year and started to chat with them. Hermione walked with them to the carriages and was glad to be alone in her thoughts.

As they made their way towards the castle, Hermione was pleased to see that it had been restored to its former glory. Hogwarts had suffered extensive damage during the war, but the school now looked better than ever. She smiled as she walked into the Great Hall and saw some familiar faces from different years. Like Harry and Ron, quite a few of their classmates opted out of finishing their final year with a few exceptions. Hermione was glad to see that Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Dean Thomas were back.

After the Sorting Hat Ceremony was performed on the First Years, the students enjoyed a spectacular feast before heading to their respective dormitories. Hermione was walking out with the rest of the Gryffindors, when the new headmistress, Professor McGonagall called out to her.

"Ms. Granger, a moment please."

"Yes, Headmistress?" Hermione asked and wondered what this was about. She hoped it wasn't going to be a lecture about her choosing not to accept being Head Girl. About two months earlier, Hermione had received the notification that she had been chosen, but she turned it down. After all that had happened in the last year, she just wanted her last school year to be stress-free. Hermione didn't even want to be a Prefect. She was so relieved when she saw that a Ravenclaw was the Head Girl, and a Hufflepuff was chosen as Head Boy.

"Follow me to my office, I have an assignment waiting for you," the headmistress replied.

Hermione nodded and followed her. When they reached her office, Professor McGonagall recited a password and they walked in. Hermione followed the older woman as they ascended the spiral staircase to her office. When they arrived, Hermione noticed that there was a young woman who looked to be her age. She was sitting in one of the chairs facing McGonagall's desk, and there was an older man seated beside her. The man stood and greeted Hermione and the headmistress.

"Is this the young lady you were telling us about?" the man asked Professor McGonagall.

She nodded. "Yes. Mr. Grayson Pierce, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, Mr. Pierce and his daughter, Angela, are from Austin, Texas. Mr. Pierce is with our American Ministry of Magic, but he has been transferred to our Ministry for a temporary assignment. Angela will be completing her Seventh Year with us and she has been sorted into Gryffindor. I thought it would be perfect for you to show her around."

Hermione smiled and extended her hand to Mr. Pierce, and then to Angela. "It's really nice to meet you both." Mr. Pierce was a tall man in his mid-forties, about 6'2, with a slim build. He had black hair that was turning gray on the sides, friendly brown eyes, and a nice smile. Angela, like Hermione, was 18 years old. She was almost as tall as her father and was also slim. Her hair was dark brown, and she had the same friendly brown eyes and smile as her father.

They smiled back at her, and after a few more minutes of conversation, the young women left the headmistress's office. When they arrived in the hall outside of the office, Angela let out a deep breath.

"Whoa. This has been such a trip! I never thought I'd get out of there. Look, I'm sorry you're stuck with having to show the 'new girl' around. I'm sure I can figure out how to find the dorm on my own," Angela said.

"Don't worry about it, I'm glad to do it. It's good to see a new face. I know what you mean about being glad to get out of McGonagall's office. She can be a bit intimidating," Hermione stated and chuckled.

"Indeed she is! By the way, no one calls me Angela except my father when he's mad at me. I'm Angie," she said and stuck out her hand.

Hermione laughed and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Angie. I'm just plain old Hermione."

"Hmm, something tells me there's nothing plain about you Hermione. I think you and I are going to be friends," Angie said and smiled.

For a few moments, Hermione pondered this statement and decided that she liked Angie Pierce. "I think we're going to be friends too." In her years at Hogwarts, Hermione hadn't been too friendly with many girls. When she thought about it, Ginny was her only female friend. Maybe it would be good to have a friend outside of her circle.

As the next month went by, Hermione diligently wrote to Ron every day, but only received a few letters from him. He told her about how difficult the training was, but the food was great. He always ended every letter the same way: telling her about how he couldn't wait for them to be _really together_ again. Hermione knew exactly what he meant. Maybe Ron couldn't wait, but she certainly could.

In that time, Angie fit right in with the rest of the Gryffindors. Sometimes she chatted with Hermione, but she was getting lots of attention from the guys and quite a few of the girls were curious about the American witch, so she was always part of a crowd. Hermione was content to stay in the background. She spent most of her time at the library and took her meals with Ginny and their friends.

It was the first Saturday in October, and it was a Hogsmeade weekend. Hermione was eager to go and had woke up early that morning. She loved when autumn was starting, and the air was beginning to feel cool and crisp. Dressed in a pink-print lightweight jumper, jeans, and brown leather boots, she was all set. Hermione stepped out into the Common Room and waited for Ginny. After about 10 minutes, she noticed other students leave the area, but there was no sign of Ginny. Hermione went to her dorm and knocked. A girl named Prudence answered the door and looked irritated.

"Merlin, it is Saturday morning! I can't ever sleep late. What do you want?" she asked in a whiny tone.

"I'm really sorry to have disrupted your sleep, Prudence. I'm looking for Ginny," Hermione replied.

"She left over an hour ago with a bunch of other giggly girls. They interrupted me too. Is that all you needed? I really want to get back to sleep," Prudence said and yawned.

"Sure and thanks," Hermione replied as Prudence closed the door. This was strange. Ginny hadn't mentioned anything about leaving earlier, but then again, Hermione had been in the library the evening before and hadn't spoken to Ginny. She just assumed that they would go into Hogsmeade together. It wasn't that big of a deal, but Hermione felt a little hurt that Ginny hadn't mentioned anything to her earlier.

Hermione shrugged this off and decided that she better get a move on before the carriages were gone. She was leaving the Common Room when she heard someone call her name.

"Hermione! I'm glad you're still here. Are you going to Hogsmeade?" Angie asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I'm headed to the carriages now."

"Cool! Do you mind if I tag along with you?" Angie asked.

"Not at all," Hermione replied. They made their way to the front entrance and were able to catch one of the last carriages. As the carriage made its way to Hogsmeade, she and Angie fell into an easy conversation that lasted all the way to their destination. Once there, Hermione thought that Angie was going to leave to meet other friends, but she walked out with Hermione. Their first stop was the bookstore, Honeydukes for sugar quills, and then The Three Broomsticks for lunch.

Hermione couldn't believe how quickly the day had gone by and how much she enjoyed spending time with Angie. From that day on, she and Angie started to hang out all of the time. Hermione still was friends with Ginny, but the younger girl was spending more time with the girls from her year. They spoke occasionally, but the closeness they had shared over the summer slowly drifted away. As the weeks, then months went by, Hermione found a true friend in Angie.

It was the week before Christmas, and most of the students were preparing to go home for the holidays. Hermione was going home to be with her parents, but was planning to spend a few days at The Burrow since Ron and Harry were going to be there Christmas day and a few days afterwards. She also arranged to meet Angie in London. Hermione was really looking forward to all of this.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger picked Hermione up from King's Cross Station and they spent the rest of the day together doing last-minute Christmas shopping and had lunch. Hermione was so glad that her relationship with her parents was back to the way it was before the war. She had missed them so much.

Christmas Eve was a quiet event with her parents. They had a wonderful dinner and exchanged gifts afterwards. Hermione was touched when her parents gave her a gift certificate to the book store in Diagon Alley, Flourish and Botts. They had bought it a few months ago when they had accompanied her there to purchase her school supplies. Her parents loved her gift of tickets to their favorite musical, _Spamalot_.

Hermione was up early on Christmas morning so she could prepare to go to The Burrow. She packed a small bag since she was staying for a few days. Her father drove her to The Leaky Cauldron, and she flooed from there to get to The Burrow. When she arrived, she was greeted by Mrs. Weasley, who had just finished preparing breakfast. It wasn't long before the rest of the Weasley clan and Harry joined them.

She went over to Ron and gave him a hug. As she leaned in to kiss him on the mouth, he turned and she kissed his cheek. Ron gave her a small smile and a little squeeze before moving away from her.

"I'm glad you made it here. I'm starving! Let's eat," he said happily as he took a seat at the dining room table.

Hermione felt a little uneasy about how Ron reacted towards her, but put it off as maybe he really was hungry. He was always famished at Hogwarts. She smiled and took a seat beside him.

After breakfast was over, they went into the living room and exchanged gifts. Everyone received a knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasley. Hermione had given Harry and Ron leather holsters for their wands. The young men loved this and couldn't wait to see how they would look with their Auror uniforms. She gave Ginny a makeup set and a book of hairstyling charms. Ginny was pleased with this and was anxious to try the different hairstyles.

Hermione received another gift certificate from Flourish and Botts from Ginny and Harry, but she was pleased. One could never have too many books. She was so surprised when Ron handed her a small, beautifully wrapped box. Her heart began to beat a little faster when she figured that this was a piece of jewelry. Merlin help her, but she hoped that this wasn't what it looked like. Hermione truly had no idea how she was going to react if Ron had given her an engagement ring.

She opened the box and saw that it was indeed a ring, but it was what muggles referred to as a "promise" ring. The ring was made of silver with a crisscrossing ribbon of tiny red rubies passing through an open heart at the center. Hermione held her breath when Ron knelt before her.

"Hermione, I want this to be a symbol of our commitment to each other. I know it's not much and I want to get you a much better ring later on, but I really wanted to give you this. I want everyone to know that we're a couple," Ron said, his eyes shining.

"Ron, it's lovely. Thank you," Hermione said softly as she watched him slide it on the ring finger of her left hand. She held it up for everyone to see, and everyone oohed and ahhed over it.

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny hugged her at the same time and let her know how happy they were to have her as part of their family.

"Do you think you'll be married next summer? That would be amazing! We could have the wedding here," Ginny gushed.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other. "Slow down, Gin! We haven't even set a date yet," Hermione chuckled.

"No, we haven't, but I'm hoping to change that soon," Ron said and kissed her.

Hermione smiled at him and listened as the rest of the family spoke excitedly about what their possible future plans might be. One would think that this would be one of the happiest moments of her life, but for some reason Hermione felt overwhelmed by all of this. It just seemed way too soon. What scared her was that Ginny was serious when she asked if they were to be married the following year. Hermione could not see getting married right after finishing Hogwarts. She loved Ron, but her future plans did not include a wedding anytime soon. A long engagement would suit her just fine.

After everyone had settled down and gone to bed, Hermione snuck into Ron's room. As soon as she walked in, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

"You can't imagine how much I've missed you. I couldn't wait for this," Ron whispered in between kisses.

"I missed you too," Hermione whispered back. She watched as he removed his pajama top and bottoms. She pulled her nightgown over her head, and walked to his bed. Ron pulled off his underwear and got into his bed, staring lustily at Hermione as she removed her panties and stepped gingerly out of them. When she got into the bed, Ron moved on top of her.

They made out for a few minutes, and then Hermione felt Ron's cock at her entrance. Once again, she quickly recited a contraceptive spell. He pushed into her and began to make short, uneven thrusts. In an effort to get more comfortable, Hermione moved her hips up and met one of his thrusts. All of a sudden, Ron stopped moving.

"I thought I told you not to move!" he snapped.

"I'm sorry Ron, I was just trying to get comfortable," Hermione replied softly and was hurt by his tone. She felt tears forming, and one fell down her cheek, but Ron didn't notice.

"Just leave this to me and let me handle it. I know you aren't experienced," he sighed and began to thrust again.

A few minutes later, Ron's body shuddered and he had the same twisted expression on his face when he came. Hermione watched in silence and couldn't wait for him to finish. She was so glad when he rolled over to his side of the bed. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

"It'll take some time, but you're getting better at making love. Just think, when we're married, we'll be able to do this every night," Ron whispered happily.

Hermione gave him a half-hearted smile and slipped off of the bed to retrieve her nightgown and panties. She did a quick wordless cleaning spell as she pulled them on.

Ron did the same and put on his pajamas. He climbed back into his bed and yawned.

"This tired me out love. I'll see you in the morning," he said as he turned on his side and fell asleep.

Hermione left his room quickly and returned to the one she shared with Ginny. Once again, she couldn't sleep and went over to the window seat. She felt the tears coming on again, and it wasn't long before she was sobbing quietly. Maybe she wasn't that experienced in sex, but her gut instinct was telling her that it had to be better than what just happened with Ron.

Looking over the ring Ron gave her, Hermione thought again of how this should be one of the best moments of her life. But the more she gazed at the ring, the more she felt as if it was a noose around her neck.

Harry and Ron were there for two more days, and then they had to return for their training. Those past two days were the same routine for Hermione: breakfast, lunch, dinner, then wait a few hours to meet Ron in his room for sex.

A part of her felt shame for how relieved she was when Ron finally left, but Hermione didn't know how much of this she could take. She was coming to the realization that perhaps a future with Ron was not what she wanted. There was no one she could confide in here at The Burrow and she really wasn't comfortable discussing things of this nature with her mother. That left one person: Angie.

Hermione returned home after Ron left. She arrived to an empty house since her parents were at work. Putting away her belongings in their rightful place in her bedroom, Hermione checked her cellphone. She saw that there were a few text messages from Angie.

Angie's father was pureblood and her mother was a half-blood, the product of a witch and a muggle father. Like Hermione, Angie was an only child. Her mother had always exposed her to the muggle world, so Angie was familiar with muggle technology. Angie and Hermione had exchanged cellphone numbers before leaving Hogwarts for the holidays.

_First Text:_

_Can't wait to hear how ur reunion w/Ron was! Merry Christmas-A_

Second Text:

_Call me as soon as you get back-A_

Hermione smiled as she read the texts and sent a message:

_I'm home. Call me if ur up-H_

A few minutes later, Hermione's cellphone rang. She and Angie made plans to meet for lunch at a muggle café. After the call ended, Hermione noticed that it was 10:30 a.m. She decided to take a shower before leaving for lunch.

Hermione arrived at the café and looked around for a few minutes. She smiled when she saw Angie seated at a table and she waved Hermione over. When she arrived at the table, Angie stood up and hugged her. Hermione hugged her back and they took their seats.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages! Well, how was everything?" Angie asked happily.

"I know it's only been a week, but it feels like forever. Everything's good. Did you have a good Christmas?" Hermione asked.

Angie began to tell how she had a wonderful day with her parents. She was interrupted when their waitress came to the table and took their orders. When she was done, Angie turned to Hermione.

"Don't keep me in suspense. I want to know all about what happened with Ron. I bet you couldn't keep your hands off each other," Angie said and giggled.

"Something like that," Hermione said with a small smile and took a drink of water. That was when Angie noticed the ring. She grabbed Hermione's hand and gasped.

"Whoa! Is that a promise ring? It's so pretty," Angie gushed.

Hermione nodded. "My Christmas gift from Ron. I guess I'm now promised to be engaged to him," she said with a half-hearted chuckle.

Angie picked up on this. "Hermione, is something wrong?"

Shaking her head, Hermione replied, "No, it's fine," but a few tears coursed down her cheeks. She quickly brushed them away and tried to smile at Angie.

Her friend stared at her for a few minutes, then stood up. "Wait here," she said. Hermione watched as Angie walked over to their waitress and spoke to her. She returned to the table and sat down.

"I asked our waitress to serve our order to go. It'll be ready soon. Look, we'll take our food and head over to my house so we can talk," she said softly and patted Hermione's hand.

Hermione only nodded, not trusting herself to speak. As soon as their order was ready, the young women left the café and went to Angie's house. Angie's father was at work and her mother was out running errands, so they had the house to themselves. They went into the kitchen, where Angie set their food out on a small table. She and Hermione sat down.

"Whenever you're ready, I'm here to listen. If you don't want to talk, that's fine too," Angie said reassuringly.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Oh Angie, I'm so confused. I've always had a thing for Ron and when we finally got together, I was ecstatic. But now that we're getting serious, I feel trapped!"

Angie nodded. "How long have you been feeling like this? Did something trigger this?" she asked.

"You know, I started to feel like this when we began to have sex over the summer," Hermione said and frowned.

"I don't want to get too personal, but was Ron your first?" Angie asked.

Nodding, Hermione replied, "Yes. I was so excited to be with him, but Angie, it wasn't what I expected. Maybe my expectations were too high, I don't know," she said and sighed.

Angie's forehead creased as she thought about this. "How's sex with him? Are you, hmm, how can I put this? Are you fulfilled? Does he please you?" she asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean. We always do it the same way. He's on top and I make sure not to move so I don't mess up his concentration," Hermione replied.

Angie stared at her with her mouth open for a few seconds, and then she began to speak. "What? Are you telling me you have to lie beneath him and not move? Are you a live woman or a damn corpse? Man, Hermione. I can see why you're so upset. That just isn't normal! Have you talked to anyone about this?"

Shaking her head, Hermione said, "No. You're the first person I've told. There's really no one to talk to me. I've been thinking maybe there's something wrong with me. I just thought that since Ron's a pureblood wizard that perhaps that is how they have sexual relations."

"No, that has nothing to do with it, Hermione. I'm not the most sexually experienced person, but I have had two boyfriends. My first, Brody, was a pureblood wizard and I can assure you, sex with him was not at all what you experienced with Ron. Brody also taught me about oral sex, and was he ever good at it, let me tell you!" Angie laughed.

Hermione blushed at this. "It's a relief to know that I wasn't wrong when I thought that sex with Ron wasn't what it should be! Oral sex? I don't see that happening. Whenever I try to move during sex, he stops in the middle of it and scolds me!"

"Hermione, I'll just tell it to you straight. I've never met the guy, but from what you're telling me, Ron's a lousy lay. That's all there is to it. What are you going to do?" Angie asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Angie, I don't think I can go through this with Ron. It doesn't feel right. It's just that I keep thinking about how much I'll hurt him and his family. They were so happy when we finally got together," Hermione replied and had a sad expression.

Angie took a deep breath. "You and Ron need to have a heart-to-heart talk. If you're feeling this way, break up with him now Hermione. I know you don't want to hurt anyone, but you've got to think of your feelings too. You're miserable. The longer you put it off, the more difficult it'll be. I might be out of line for saying this, but from what you're telling me, you would never be happy married to him."

"You're right, Angie, "Hermione said as she removed the ring and placed it on the table. As she did this, she realized that she didn't feel as trapped. It was going to be one of the hardest things she'd have to do, but she was going to end it with Ron.

**This one was stuck in my head and I needed to get it out! It starts off as a Ronione, but this is definitely a Dramione. Draco will come later. Thank you for reading! **


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